For Life
by Bird Charmer
Summary: Fried Green Tomatoes, Movie . Just a quiet interlude during Ruth’s pregnancy. Fluff and definitely adults only. Femslash.


**For Life**

Author: Bird Charmer

Summary: (Fried Green Tomatoes, Movie). Just a quiet interlude during Ruth's pregnancy. Fluff and definitely adults only. Femslash.

Category: Romance, f/f slash, smutty fluff (or is that fluffy smut??)

Rating: MA/NC-17. No kids, please. Smut, but loving smut.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters, they belong to Fannie Flagg, John Avnet, the brilliant Mary Stuart Masterson and Mary-Louise Parker, Universal Pictures, Act III Communications, and a lot of other people, none of whom are me. No copyright infringement is meant and absolutely no money has changed hands.

Archive: Yes, but please let me know first so that I can come visit.

Feedback: Yes, please, but please be kind.

Ruth was about as disgruntled as woman in her 8th month of pregnancy ever gets. Her back hurt constantly, the baby kicked a lot, mostly at night so she couldn't sleep, and she was bored. The only saving grace was that it was winter, rather than the sultry Alabama summer. At least she wasn't sweating all the time. Instead, it had been raining for at least a week, turning the red clay roads into quagmires below the grey skies. When the rain had let up for a few hours the day before, Ruth had tried to venture outside, just to see something different than the four walls of the house. She had been fine going down the back steps, holding tightly to the banister, to where Big George had spread gravel for better footing but as soon as she got off the gravel, she had slipped on the sodden clay, ending up on hands and knees. Sipsy had come running out of the house and helped her up. Since then, Sipsy and Momma had forbidden her from going outside until it was drier. She had also had to start washing her hair in the big sink in the kitchen, since her belly made it difficult to balance while stepping into the deep bathtub. She longed to take a hot bath, to sit in the steamy tub, peeking out through the lace curtains at the fallow garden.

She was tired of people poking and prodding her, and of everyone touching her abdomen all the time. Ruth was a very private person, and she hated the required examinations from the town doctor, who would come by the Threadgoode house every month. He was nice enough, but Ruth was embarrassed at having to lie there as he looked between her legs. Sipsy and her sister, Onzell, both trained in midwifery, also insisted on doing their own examinations. They weren't quite as bad, but Ruth had this feeling that by the time the baby was born, everyone would have seen every private part of her body.

Even Idgie had disappointed her that morning. Ruth had tossed and turned all night, trying to find a comfortable spot. Every time she managed to fall asleep, the baby had given her a solid kick, waking her again. If it weren't that snuggling up to Idgie was about the nicest thing she knew, she would have given up and gone and sat in the rocking chair. She finally managed to fall into an exhausted sleep about 4:00 am, only to have Idgie waken her at 7:00 am, complaining that Ruth's belly was on her arm, which was now asleep. Idgie, never at her best in the morning, had grumped about that stupid big belly being everywhere and for Ruth to please watch where she put that thing. Ruth's eyes had filled with tears, but Idgie didn't seem to notice. Instead, Idgie had proceeded to strip out of the men's shirt she slept in and put on an old pair of overalls over a different men's shirt. Ruth could never get used to how comfortable Idgie was about being naked in front of her, not even Frank had been that forward. He had gotten undressed in the bathroom and only approached her while the lights were off, never pausing to admire her body the way Idgie did the few times she had seen it unclothed. Seeing that it was sunny outside, Idgie had cinched the frayed overalls around her tiny waist with a red cord, put on her favorite battered old boots, and left, assuring Ruth that she'd be back in a while.

Ruth tried to go back to sleep, but then Sipsy called her down to breakfast. She'd tried to eat, but the food didn't appeal to her that morning. She picked at the bacon and eggs Sipsy had laid out, pushing the food around her plate as the baby continued to kick. After breakfast, she had gone back up to the room she shared with Idgie and buried her face into the pillows, which smelled faintly of Idgie. She lay on her side, stroking her abdomen, trying to get the baby to relax and settle down. Finally, she fell into an uneasy half-sleep.

A few hours later, the rain started again. Sipsy was preparing biscuits, and she had just pulled out a pan from the oven when Idgie walked into the kitchen, soaking wet. She was carrying a jar of honey in one hand.

"Miz Idgie, don't you drip on my clean floor," Sipsy said, then noticing that Idgie was shivering and her lips were blue with cold.

"You'd better go upstairs and get out of those wet clothes, child, you'll catch your death of cold. Here, take some biscuits with you, see if you can get Miz Ruth to eat some with that honey. Some fresh butter, too," Sipsy continued, handing Idgie a large plate of steaming biscuits with a crock of butter. Idgie grabbed a couple of bottles of beer, ignoring Sipsy's glare.

"And Miz Idgie, take off those boots – don't want any mud on my floor!" Sipsy commanded as Idgie fled the kitchen. Obediently, Idgie unlaced the muddy boots, chucking them into a corner of the dining room before walking up the stairs. She knew better than to disobey Sipsy. Sipsy smiled at the familiar thuds from the boots, then frowned at the red clay footsteps rapidly drying on the wooden floor. That child would never change.

As she entered their bedroom, Idgie's eyes fell on Ruth, asleep on top of the crocheted white cotton bedspread, covered with a thick woolen blanket, her hair dark against the pillow. The window was cracked open, and the room smelled of rain and wet vegetation. A breeze stirred Ruth's hair. With a twinge of conscience, she remembered Ruth's eyes filling with tears that morning at her harsh words. The memory of that had sent her off looking for honey rather than down to the River Club as she had originally planned. She had finally found a tree with an active hive after much searching, but she had been caught by the rain several miles from home. As if sensing Idgie's presence, Ruth opened her eyes and pushed herself into a sitting position.

"Hey, Idgie. You're back." Ruth yawned inelegantly, still sleepy but in a slightly better mood now that she had gotten some rest at least.

"Hey. I went and found us some honey, and Sipsy baked some biscuits for us. Fresh butter, too." Idgie reached the platter toward Ruth, who took it, just then noticing Idgie's wet hair and clothing.

"You're all wet. Is it raining again?" Ruth glanced out the window.

"Started a while ago," Idgie shivered as she talked, thinking Sipsy's idea of a hot bath was sounding better.

"You'd better get out of those clothes," Ruth took the beer bottles from her and set them on the dresser. Idgie started peeling off the wet layers, and Ruth tried to make herself look away as more and more of Idgie's body was revealed. She shouldn't be looking at another person that way, let alone another woman.

Ruth looked up when she heard Idgie muttering and swearing. Her cold hands were fumbling with the cord around her waist, working at the knot, swollen with rainwater. Her hands were shaking with cold, and she couldn't work the knot loose.

"Honey, come here, let me do that," Ruth said. "Would it kill you to use a belt sometimes, instead of an old string? You know this keeps happening."

Idgie grumbled a final curse and walked over to the bed, letting Ruth work at the cord. Ruth's agile fingers eased the knot apart with a minimum of effort. Ruth brought her hands up around Idgie's neck, pulling Idgie's head down to her level so she could touch her lips to Idgie's cold ones. Idgie's lips tasted of rain and cigarettes and were icy against Ruth's warm ones, and Ruth played with the hair the nape of Idgie's neck. After several seconds, Idgie reluctantly broke off the kiss to slide the overalls all the way off, letting them drop on the floor in a sodden heap.

"I'm going to take a bath. Come join me?" Idgie straightened and held out her hand to Ruth.

"Oh, no, I couldn't. We couldn't. Could we?" Ruth wasn't sure she wanted to do that, but the lure of a hot bath was pulling her in.

"I'll wash your hair…," Idgie cajoled, now nearly naked, her remaining wet clothes thrown in a pile on the floor. She held out her hand again.

"Okay," Ruth couldn't resist any longer. She took Idgie's hand, using her help to get to her feet. She grabbed the platter of biscuits on her way into the adjoining bathroom, while Idgie snagged the beer bottles with her free hand.

In a romantic gesture, Idgie lit a couple of candles, their flickering light keeping the darkness of the rain clouds at bay. She started the water running in the huge claw foot tub as Ruth fiddled with her clothes. She wasn't sure she wanted Idgie to see her body like this. Ruth wasn't a vain woman, but she knew Idgie liked her body and liked to look at her, but now that body was completely different and maybe Idgie wouldn't like to look at her any more. Idgie stripped off the last of her clothes, standing naked in the candlelight, the steam from the water rising behind her, her wet hair curling as it dried. She noticed Ruth's hesitance and turned away, fiddling with the taps, giving Ruth time to get undressed. Idgie was well aware of Ruth's insecurities, including her reticence about getting undressed in front of anyone, including Idgie.

"Honey," came Ruth's voice from behind her, "I'm going to need your help to get into the tub." Ruth swallowed, hoping Idgie would like what she saw, Idgie's words from that morning ringing in her ears.

Idgie turned around to help Ruth, and Ruth smiled as she saw the flash of desire in Idgie's eyes as she ran them down Ruth's body. With Ruth safely seated in the tub, Idgie reached for the platter of biscuits, setting it on a small stool that normally held towels, and handed a bottle to Ruth.

"We can't eat these here," Ruth said, even as she reached for a biscuit, smearing butter and honey all over the flaky crust. Idgie just rolled her eyes at Ruth's protestations.

Steam covered the bathroom window behind the lace curtains as they finished the plate of biscuits and most of the honey, rinsing sticky fingers in the hot water, their legs intertwined. Idgie ran her foot up Ruth's leg, sending a shiver through her. How did this woman make her feel wanted with the slightest gesture? They giggled over the latest town and family gossip as they ate, Idgie updating Ruth on what she had seen as she had gone through town that morning. Finally, there was only one biscuit left, and Idgie took it, putting a generous amount of butter and honey on it.

"Close your eyes and open your mouth," she commanded Ruth. Another shiver went through Ruth, she wasn't sure what Idgie had in mind, but she had heard a lot about Idgie's practical jokes from the rest of the family. Then again, the look in Idgie's dark eyes was anything but joking; they were shining with love and desire in the flickering candlelight. Ruth did as Idgie asked, gently closing her eyes and partially opening her mouth. She heard the soft slosh of water as Idgie reached over, placing a small piece of biscuit dripping with butter and honey in her mouth. Ruth chewed slowly, keeping her eyes shut. The flaky biscuit, slightly sour from buttermilk, mixed with the tangy fresh butter and sweet stickiness of honey, melted in her mouth, and she could feel Idgie's eyes on her. She had never felt so loved or desired in her life. Idgie fed her the rest of the biscuit piece by piece, Ruth keeping her eyes closed, almost afraid to let Idgie see how much she wanted her, and enjoying the sensations of eating without any visual stimuli.

Ruth finally opened her eyes, to see Idgie sitting close, looking at her with love, and she took Idgie's hand in her own, bringing her sticky fingers to her mouth. Ruth slowly licked and sucked at the fingers, making Idgie tremble at the sensation of Ruth's soft lips and tongue moving along her fingers, sucked off the last of the honey and butter.

Ruth looked up at Idgie, grinning at Idgie's stunned expression:

"Did you say something about washing my hair?"

Idgie swallowed hard, gasping a bit for breath, trying to still her racing pulse:

"Uh, what?" she looked at Ruth, completely at a loss. What on earth was Ruth talking about?

"Wash my hair," Ruth waggled a shampoo bottle at her, laughing at Idgie. For once, she had apparently done to Idgie what Idgie so often did to her.

This was just one of Idgie's gifts to her, to be able to laugh, play and flirt. Ruth had not known much about sex when she had married Frank; her mother had basically told her to do her duty and please Frank. It wasn't seen as something that could be enjoyable, but a requirement of a marriage. Ruth had been unable to talk to her friends about sex or even kissing a man. She knew they talked about it, but she was the preacher's daughter and taught Sunday school, so the conversation tended to die down when she tried to join them. Her friends didn't want Ruth to tell their parents about these forbidden talks, and they felt she couldn't be trusted not to tell her parents. After Frank, well, after Frank she couldn't talk to anyone. Her only knowledge of what went on between a man and a woman in the marriage bed was from the one time she had happened to see a stallion mounting a mare. She had been shocked at the stallion's brutality, how he had bitten the neck of the mare as he thrust into her. The mare's eyes had rolled in apparent pain as she braced herself against the weight of the stallion and his thrusting hindquarters. When Frank had approached her on their wedding night, she had been surprised that he didn't mount her from behind but had insisted she lie on her back. It might have been better had he taken her from behind, then at least she wouldn't have had to look into his face and cold eyes. He had simply pushed her legs out and shoved his way into her, first with his fingers, then his hard penis. It had hurt a lot, and she found herself bracing for each onslaught, much as she remembered the mare doing. With Idgie, though, things were different. Idgie had not demanded any intimacy, just playing and flirting with Ruth, punctuated with kisses and soft caresses and a lot of laughter. Ruth was finally learning to do the same, to trust in Idgie enough to joke around with her, like she was doing now.

"Uh. Oh. Yeah. Wash your hair," Idgie said stupidly, trying to get her brain back on track. She took the shampoo bottle from Ruth's hands with her own slightly trembling ones. Her heart was still beating hard:

"You'd better scoot over just a bit so I can get behind you." At least that made sense, as Idgie stood up in the bathtub, hoping her legs would hold her and not just collapse. Ok, she could do this. Idgie reached for her beer bottle and took a good swig. Much better, maybe now she could walk.

Ruth looked up, the laughter dying as she saw Idgie looking at her with desire, her lean body golden in the candlelight. Ruth flushed as she noticed the gold curls at just about eyelevel, water droplets catching the candlelight. Now it was her turn to swallow hard.

The water sloshed around as Idgie made her way behind Ruth, a little spilling over the edge as she sat down a bit abruptly. She had noticed Ruth looking at her body and Ruth's blushing face; it always surprised her that she could appeal to a woman as beautiful as Ruth. Even pregnant, Ruth could have any man in town. Yet here she was, sitting in a bathtub in a rainstorm, joking around with Idgie. Idgie no longer believed in God, at least not Reverend Scroggins' God, but she was eternally thankful for Ruth.

Idgie reached for a painted ceramic pitcher standing on the rim of the tub, filling it with water. She was tempted to dump it over Ruth's head. After brief consideration, she did just that, leaving Ruth sputtering and gasping.

"Idgie Threadgoode," Ruth growled, "behave yourself. Well, as much as you ever behave."

Idgie stuck out her tongue at the back of Ruth's head, but she was gentler with the next pitcherful, tilting Ruth's head back so the water ran down her back after wetting the hair. Pouring out some of the rose-scented shampoo, she worked it through Ruth's long hair, taking the time to massage Ruth's scalp and neck. Ruth groaned with pleasure and let her head fall forward some as Idgie's strong fingers worked on the kinks in her neck. Rosewater scent mixed with the steam rising off the water. Idgie then moved Ruth's head back and rinsed out her hair, putting her hand on Ruth's forehead to prevent any soap from getting in her eyes. When she was done with her hair, Ruth leaned her head back into her favorite spot on Idgie's shoulder, tucking her forehead into the crook of Idgie's neck, closing her eyes in pleasure. She felt Idgie's hard nipples along her back and squirmed a bit, trying to maximize the sensation of their hardness sliding along her shoulder bones.

Idgie slid her arms around Ruth's waist and found her mouth with her own. She slipped her tongue into Ruth's mouth, pressing her breasts harder into Ruth's back as their tongues intertwined. Ruth was loose and pliable in her arms, her mouth tasting of honey and buttermilk and Ruth herself. Idgie's hands wandered up and she ran her fingers across Ruth's abdomen, just below her breasts, larger now with her pregnancy. Ruth squirmed, gasping a bit into Idgie's mouth before reluctantly pulling away. She was breathing hard.

"Idgie, we can't do that here!," Ruth tried to sound shocked. She knew she should be shocked, a few chaste kisses was okay, even in daylight, but this was perilously close to a sin, at least from Ruth's point of view.

"Why not?" Idgie murmured as she flipped Ruth's hair out of the way and started nibbling on her neck.

"Because, oh," Ruth lost her train of thought momentarily, then marshaled her remaining brain cells, "because we can't, that's why. What will people say if they find out?"

"Who's going to tell them?" Idgie worried at the skin on the side of Ruth's neck. Ruth groaned in pleasure and had to still her own hands from reaching back and touching Idgie.

"What if people hear us? What about Momma and Poppa? And Sipsy?"

"So, you'll just have to be quiet," Idgie rolled her eyes at Ruth, grinning at her. "Besides, Momma and Poppa are at the store, won't be home for hours. Don't worry about Sipsy, she's in the kitchen. Now relax, don't worry so much about what people think. They're going to think it anyway, no use worrying about it." Idgie moved her hands along the sides of Ruth's breasts as she went back to nibbling on her neck.

Ruth tried to turn around to face Idgie, but Idgie stilled her movements:

"Stay still, I'm just getting started." Ruth shuddered at this, she was already overheating in the hot bath water, what did Idgie have in mind? They had not been very intimate since Ruth left Frank, it had taken several weeks for the physical damage to heal after Frank's repeated rapes, and then Ruth had suffered from horrible morning sickness. The most they had done was a little bit of touching and a lot of kissing, Idgie taking her time, trying to win Ruth's trust after Frank had abused it so badly. Ruth wasn't used to anyone caring about her pleasure, and she still considered it somewhat of a sin to find pleasure in the touch of another person. She was sure Reverend Scroggins would not approve of what they were doing; what she was less sure of was whether God would approve. Resolutely, she put Reverend Scroggins out of her mind.

Idgie slid her hands over Ruth's breasts, pausing to toy with her nipples. Ruth felt her breasts swell at the touch, and she squirmed, rubbing her thighs together, trying to get some relief from the tingling between them. Idgie rubbed her nipples between her long fingers, pulling gently at them, while she continued to nibble and suck on Ruth's neck. Ruth raised her hand to find Idgie's chin, lifting the blonde's head so that she could see the love in her eyes. Ruth reached over and touched her lips to Idgie's, slipping her tongue into Idgie's open mouth, exploring and meeting Idgie's tongue. She pushed back into Idgie's hard nipples and into the space between Idgie's legs, loving the feel of the soft lower lips against her own skin. She had never felt this way, never wanted to be the aggressor or sought out physical love before now. Her heart was racing, and she felt Idgie's rapid heartbeat through her back, not sure which heartbeat was hers and which was Idgie's.

Taken by surprise by Ruth's kiss, Idgie rubbed herself against Ruth's lower back, feeling her swollen labia slide along Ruth's smooth skin. She pushed hard into Ruth's mouth as she slid one hand between Ruth's legs, the other hand still playing with her left breast. Both of them were breathing hard, gasping between kisses. The water sloshed in the tub. Ruth first clamped her legs together instinctively, memories of Frank still too fresh, then let them fall open to Idgie's fingers. Frank had never done this, and she had certainly never touched herself, but it felt right to have Idgie's hand between her legs, fingers probing at her opening.

Idgie felt the change from the water to the viscous fluid seeping from Ruth's vagina as she moved her fingers up her inner thighs and into the curls between her legs. Ruth's tongue moved frantically against her own, Ruth's hands holding her head tightly, fisted in her hair. As she entered Ruth's body with a single finger, Ruth gasped into her mouth, removing the air from Idgie's lungs. She pulled back from the kiss reluctantly, opening her eyes, seeing Ruth's eyes inches from her own, nearly black, the pupils were so large. In her left hand, the nipple was rock hard, and Idgie knew her own nipples were stiff and standing out. It had never felt like this before, not with Eva, not with anyone else for Idgie. This was Ruth, the woman she had loved since she was 10 years old. Idgie rubbed her fingers along the ridges of Ruth's vagina, feeling the heat and tightness, her fingers slipping easily on the abundant fluid. Her thumb, slippery with fluid, moved over Ruth's clit.

Ruth thought she was going to explode. She tried to keep her eyes open, looking into Idgie's brown eyes, noticing the gold flecks around the pupil and seeing the reflections of the candles. She reached back, wanting to touch Idgie somewhere, she wasn't quite sure where, just knew she had to touch her. Finally, though, she just closed her eyes and gave herself up to these new sensations Idgie was creating. She pushed herself harder into Idgie's hand, gasping Idgie's name repeatedly. Her legs were shaking with the impending orgasm, and Idgie kissed her, their tongues mating together, just as the waves of her orgasm struck, Idgie feeling the waves of contractions along her fingers as Ruth's body clamped down on them. She continued to rub softly along Ruth's clit, letting her come down slowly. As Ruth became boneless in her arms, panting heavily, Idgie gathered her back into her arms, pulling Ruth's head back to rest on her shoulder. She continued to play softly with Ruth's breasts, stroking her skin and murmuring endearments into the ear by her mouth.

"That was, that was…. I can't even say what that was," Ruth murmured, barely able to keep her eyes open. She then made an effort and opened them wide, looking sideways into Idgie's eyes, "I'm sure that's a sin, that just felt too good. Has to be a sin...," her voice tapered off as she closed her eyes again.

Idgie chuckled quietly, leaning back into the porcelain of the bathtub, taking Ruth with her. As Ruth dozed in her arms, Idgie looked out at the rain through the steamed-up window, seeing the reflections of their bodies and the candlelight.


End file.
